Hung family fear telephones may have been bugged

By Rich Chang / Staff reporter

Hung Tzu-yung, sister of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu, who died of heat exhaustion on a military base on July 4, burns incense at an altar to her brother in Houli District, Greater Taichung, yesterday.

Photo: CNA

The family of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘), who died under mysterious circumstances earlier this month, said yesterday that they are worried their phones may have been wiretapped.

“Recently my cellphone has been behaving oddly. It easily gets cut off and there is an echo. Our family members are afraid,” said Hung’s sister, Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸).

She said her family’s attorneys had experienced similar problems.

“However, we cannot prove whether or not our phones have been wiretapped,” she said.

Local media reported that the military’s Information and Electronic Warfare Command had produced teaching material for personnel using Hung’s case as an example.

Reports said that in the material, a solider nicknamed “Little Chiu” (小丘) — an alleged reference to Hung Chung-chiu — liked to “argue” about his unit’s operations, stirring the resentment of his superiors.

Because Little Chiu brought a smartphone into his unit, his superiors took the chance to place him in confinement a few days before he was set to be discharged, reports said.